Gaby Hinsliff argues that England already imposes an unofficial “care tax” on families through the money, time and emotional strain required to support older relatives. She says Andy Burnham, motivated partly by his father’s Alzheimer’s, may be prepared to spend political capital on social-care reform, but would need to persuade middle-aged voters who fear new levies. The issue matters because inadequate care provision pushes costs on to families, employers and the wider economy while leaving preventable needs untreated.

The article highlights that nursing-home fees average £5,192 a month for people with assets above £23,250 in England and Northern Ireland, while home care can cost up to £1 a minute. Carers UK estimates that 2.6 million people have left work because of unpaid caring, and 61% of working carers say it affects their jobs, with one in five taking lower-paid or more junior roles. Hinsliff contrasts England’s system with more generous means-testing in Wales and free personal care in Scotland, and recalls how Burnham’s 2009 proposal for a national care service funded by a 10% inheritance levy was attacked as a “death tax”.